The Return
by Iamimaginative22
Summary: A year after the attack by Mandrake, a mystery leafman comes with news about a new blight, stronger than Mandrake, will come and destroy the forest. Ronin, Nod, MK, and this leafman journey to find the last leafman that survived the blight. Only, the Golden Queen has been missing for more than three centuries, and no one knows where she is. Please leave reviews. Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

"What do you think you're doing in here?" General Ronin asked a small brown haired girl who was about twelve years old.

"I had a dream again last night. It was scary. I saw Mandrake and then couldn't get out of a rotted tree jail cell." The girl replied.

"I think you're just having nightmares." Ronin said, kneeling to speak with her. "Now hurry along to school, you don't want to miss out on Queen Tara's lesson today."

"But dad, I saw mom in the cell too, not moving." Ronin's daughter said.

"Now, Ivene. You can't be late again." Ronin ordered his daughter.

"Fine." Ivene said, running along the tree branch towards the oak tree that today's lessons would be in.

Ronin stood and slipped on his helmet. He mounted his hummingbird and turned to say goodbye to his daughter when an arrow slammed into his left shoulder, making him fall off his mount. Ivene screamed and ran back to her father.

He pulled the arrow out of his shoulder and drew his sword. A Boggin came out of the leaves, which immediately shriveled and died. The Boggin shot another arrow at Ronin and he blocked it with his sword. Three Boggins appeared out of the wood of the tree behind Ronin and grabbed him from behind. As he struggled to fight off the Boggins, Ivene grabbed her father's fallen bow and nocked an arrow. She shot the arrow into the nearest Boggin's throat.

Then a family friend, Gaavin appeared, firing arrows into the Boggins holding Ronin. The Boggins were killed and Ronin ran over and knelt to his daughter.

"Are you okay?" he asked, placing his hands on Ivene's shoulder.

Ivene nodded, white as a cloud. Gaavin came over and took the bow from Ivene's hands.

"She needs to go and get some rest. She's overly anxious." Gaavin said, guiding the little girl towards the oak tree where she should've been.

Gaavin and Ivene entered the oak tree. Ronin sighed and remounted his hummingbird and went out to finish his border patrol.

* * *

The Boggin attack had shaken Ronin. They hadn't come that far over the borders in centuries. Something seemed off about their attack; like it was a staged distraction. Ronin began to think about what would bring the Boggins into the wrong neck of the woods. Today was the winter solstice, so Mandrake's minions would be stronger and the winter months have been exceptionally harsh. Ronin's mind kept wandering off to worry about his daughter, Ivene, and lover, Queen Tara.

Queen Tara! Ronin swerved to escape colliding with a tree. She would be in the grove today giving a lesson to the children of the forest, not in her protected haven. He spun his hummingbird around and flew quickly back to the oak tree where the Queen was supposed to be.

* * *

The tree was black with rot and there were scattered bodies of leafmen around the inside of the tree. Ronin ran to one of the leafmen still moving, but in obvious pain.

"Gaavin, what happened here?" Ronin asked, running to the side of his friend.

"The Boggins attacked while Queen Tara was here. She was able to escape with the children, but when we checked later, there was one missing. Nod said he saw the missing girl jump a Boggin who was about to get to Queen Tara." Gaavin said in a whisper.

Ronin's eyes started to water when he realized who was taken. "Ivene is really gone?" he asked.

"Ronin, I'm so sorry." Gaavin replied.

Queen Tara and the children stepped into the room. Nod immediately ran over to his father and knelt by him with tears in his eyes.

"Dad, Ivene…" He sobbed.

"I know, Nod, but we have to rebuild." Gaavin replied, wiping away his son's tears.

Queen Tara was walking around the room, healing the hurt and injured. She went over to them and knelt by Ronin. She put a hand on his shoulder and looked at Gaavin. She healed his arrow wounds and helped him sit up.

"Our daughter saved my life. I am thankful for that, but I would like to go search for Ivene. She will be honored in the Scrolls." Queen Tara said.

Anger bubbled up in Ronin. His daughter protected the Queen with her life and she was only to be rewarded by being mentioned in the scrolls. Ronin let out a sigh and helped Gaavin to his feet. He led the father and son to their rooms and helped Gaavin into bed. Before Ronin left, Gaavin grabbed his arm.

"She's not dead, Ronin. You would know if she was. When we can we can go raid Mandrake's tree and bring her back." Gaavin whispered, before nodding off.

Ronin sighed and walked to his own room. He walked into Ivene's room and stood there, looking back at memories.

* * *

Three weeks later, Gaavin and Ronin found themselves flying on hummingbirds to Mandrake's tree. It was an ugly place, the smell of death and permeating the air around it. They snuck in, using mud to paint their green armor gray. Queen Tara and the rest of the forest had acknowledged Ivene's death and were still mourning her. Gaavin and Ronin knew she was still alive, so they snuck out to find the missing girl.

"I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea." Gaavin whispered. "Why did I ever think of this?"

"I don't know, but it's too late to turn back, so let's go find my daughter." Ronin said, sneaking farther into the fortress.

They saw almost no Boggins and they were oblivious to their enemies sneaking around in their home. Gaavin walked over to a hole in the ground, covered by a dead piece of bark and picked it up. The hole was deep and too dark to see into. Ronin walked over and peered down into the abyss with him.

There was a slam and they heard a shout. Ronin looked at Gaavin. He'd know his daughter's voice anywhere, and recognized the girl as Ivene.

Ronin jumped into the hole, sliding down the side. Gaavin followed, leaving the flap up to let in light. When they hit the bottom, Ronin took a couple of paces before seeing his child bound and gagged on the floor.

He ran over to her and knelt, tears welling up in his eyes. He pulled off the gag and started to untie the bonds.

"You shouldn't have come." Ivene whispered.

Ronin looked at his daughter in surprise. "Why not?"

"It's a trap. They knew that Queen Tara was my mother and hoped that she would send leafmen after them to rescue me. I know they were expecting more, but they'll still kill you." She explained.

Then the hole was filled with light, to show what it really was. They were standing in a giant arena, with Boggins lining the stands. Ronin scanned the crowd and came upon Mandrake sitting on a throne, with his generals sitting around him.

"Ah, look who it is." Mandrake crowed, silencing the crowd. "It's the great general Ronin. Come to rescue something dear to you?"

Ronin glowered in anger. "So you're going to watch us die, instead of killing us yourself? I didn't take you for the cowardly type, but I was obviously wrong."

Mandrake opened his mouth to say something, but waved his hand at one of his generals. The general pulled out a bow and fired. Ronin easily dodged it and laughed.

"Your generals shoot worse than my grandmother in her sleep." Ronin said.

Instead of firing another arrow, the general just lowered his bow and smiled in satisfaction.

"It was heroic of you to come with someone, but tragic to leave alone." Mandrake said.

Ronin turned to see Gaavin lying on the ground with an arrow shaft halfway through his chest. Gaavin grabbed the shaft at the point of entry and tried to sit up. Ronin grabbed his free hand and shoulder and forced him to stay on the ground.

"Promise me, you'll take care of my boy. Please, take care of Nod." Gaavin said, gripping Ronin's hand tightly.

"I'll take care of him." Ronin said.

Gaavin smiled, comforted by his friend's promise. Gaavin closed his eyes and his breathing became shallow and slow. Ronin pulled the arrow out and stuck it into the ground. He then took a deep breath and put his friend's arms across his chest, covering the arrow wound.

"Now, let's watch these brave little leafmen fight to their deaths." Mandrake shouted. "Bring out the chipmunk!"

The Boggins took up the call around the arena. A gate underneath the throne opened and two gold glowing eyes appeared in the darkness. The chipmunk stuck its head out of the hole in the arena wall and gazed around. A chipmunk's cute appearance hid its vicious personality.

"Uh, dad, cut my bonds. I won't be able to move and I'll die for sure." Ivene said.

Ronin used his sword and cut away his daughter's bonds. She rubbed her hands together and sat up.

"The only way out is through the gate the chipmunk came through." Ronin said, placing himself between the chipmunk and his daughter.

The chipmunk saw the two leafmen and scurried over to them. It inspected them, trying to determine if they were a threat. Then, without warning, it howled and swiped at Ronin. Ronin ducked and pulled Ivene down with him. The chipmunk's momentum caused it to spin around, missing them completely.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Ivene asked.

"The tunnel the chipmunk came out of looks less guarded. If we can make it to the tunnel, we can make a run for it." Ronin replied, still eyeing the chipmunk.

"What about Gaavin's body? Nod doesn't deserve this, especially if he won't be able to see his father one last time." Ivene asked.

"You talk like we have a chance to get out of here." Ronin said.

"We can, but not through the chipmunk's tunnel." Ivene said.

"And how do you plan to do this?" Ronin asked, as the chipmunk turned to face them again.

"Just keep the chipmunk occupied, until he loses interest. Then get Gaavin and follow me." Ivene said.

The chipmunk charged at Ronin and Ivene. Ivene dove out of the way and Ronin ran the opposite direction, making the chipmunk follow him.

Ivene ran by Gaavin and grabbed the arrow out of the ground. She stuck it in her belt and continued for the ropes that held the tunnel door open. She used the arrow head to cut the ropes and came away with a long piece of it. She ran behind the chipmunk, who had managed to corner her father. Then she leaped onto the chipmunk's back, whipping the rope around the chipmunk's face. The rope entered its mouth and worked as an effective bridle. The chipmunk howled in anger and spun around, trying to see its attacker, but it didn't see the small leafman on its back.

"Ivene! What are you doing?" Ronin yelled at his daughter, who was hanging onto the chipmunk's back for dear life.

"Getting us out of here, now get Gaavin and get on." Ivene yelled.

Ronin ran over to his friend and carried him on his shoulders. The chipmunk was furiously fussing around; trying to shake off whatever was attacking it. The Boggins began to notice that the leafmen had begun to cheat in their deadly game. Mandrake looked at the arena and growled in frustration. Ronin leapt for the chipmunk's back and landed behind his daughter. The Boggins fired arrows at the chipmunk and the three leafmen on its back.

Ivene fought to keep her balance on the chipmunk. She urged it towards Mandrake's seat, and the chipmunk charged. The Boggins fought over themselves to get out of the way of the angry chipmunk. Mandrake was the only one who stood his ground.

"Are you going to run like the cowards you are, or are you going to fight your way out like true leafmen?" Mandrake shouted.

Ronin moved to get off the chipmunk, but Ivene held him back. She kicked the chipmunk in the flank and it jumped forward. It attacked Mandrake viciously, swiping at him with its claws. Mandrake avoided the paws clumsily, tripping over himself to avoid the deadly claws.

Arrows flew at the chipmunk as the Boggins attempted to protect their leader. One caught Ivene in the thigh and she fell off the chipmunk. Ronin tried to catch his daughter, but her foot got caught between the bridle and her father.

"You have to let me go." Ivene shouted. "Cut me loose."

"No. I came here to get you and I won't leave without you. Gaavin would have died in vain." Ronin shouted back.

"Then I'm sorry I let you down." Ivene said.

"What?" Ronin asked.

Ivene kicked her father's sword from his belt and caught it. She cut the bridle and rolled to the ground. Ronin tried to shake Gaavin off so he could save his daughter, but Gaavin grabbed his shoulder weakly.

"She's right, Ronin. Let her go. It's not worth all of our lives." He whispered.

With tears in his eyes, Ronin grabbed the two ends of the cut bridle and guided the chipmunk up the tree walls. The rotted bark provided many hand holds for the chipmunk and it climbed quickly. Ronin looked over his shoulder at the ground below.

Ivene was sparing with Mandrake; sword against staff. She was slowly being pushed back into a corner, weak against Mandrake's strength. Ronin saw Ivene strike Mandrake across the cheek with the edge of the sword, leaving a gash. She relaxed only for a moment and Mandrake swung the clubbed end of his staff against Ivene's side.

"No!" Ronin cried as he saw his daughter fall.

Mandrake looked up at him and smiled coldly. "I will get you Ronin, where it hurts the most."


	2. Chapter 2

"Ronin, are you coming?" Nod asked, sticking his head into the room.

"Uh, yeah." Ronin said, moving away from a small plant growing from the moss that covered everything.

"What's wrong?" Nod asked, walking with Ronin towards the armory.

"I have the same feeling about today that I did the day Tara died."Ronin replied.

"Do you want me to accompany the Queen personally?" Nod asked.

"Sure, though I won't be far behind. Most of the Jinn attending this meeting are too selfish to think about hurting another, so there shouldn't be any threat." Ronin said.

"So why the feeling?"Nod asked.

"I don't know."Ronin replied.

"I'm telling you as the leader of the Pinecones…" A pinecone Jinn shouted.

Ronin stifled a yawn. The entire meeting was a waste of time to him. The selfish leaders got to bicker once a year about water and sunshine rights. Tara had said that there was no perfect spot and kept them in their predetermined spaces, but with Chrysa so young, something was bound to go wrong.

"Sir, there's a hawk flying over head." A leafman said, coming to the entrance.

"And?" Ronin asked.

"It appears to be getting closer." He replied.

"Watch it. If it starts to dive, alert me and we'll distract it away from here." Ronin said.

He turned back to the meeting and saw a shadow cross over the table that the Jinn leaders were seated at. The Pinecone leader immediately stopped talking and looked up. Ronin took a step forward, within three feet of the Queen. Ronin could hear the hawk's wing beats and held his breath. It screeched and the wing beats started to fade, but the shadow was still there.

Ronin stepped to Chrysa's side and said, "The hawk seems to be climbing higher. Try to wrap this up as quickly as possible."

"Okay. This is so unneeded. They're fine where they are." Chrysa replied, the white chrysanthemum on her head bobbing.

There was a thud and Ronin looked at the table. There was a body lying on the table. It groaned and started to push itself into sitting position. Then it saw Chrysa from under the cowl of its hood and froze.

"Who are you?" Ronin asked, warily taking in the brown leaves.

"I don't know anymore." The figure replied.

"I'm going to have to ask you again, who are you?" Ronin said, his hand gripping his sword hilt.

"I don't know. I haven't known for six years." The figure replied. "Now watch the Queen. There are Boggans coming."

"What?" Ronin said drawing his sword.

"Ronin, she's right. There are Boggans; they're coming from Mandrake's forest." Nod said, looking at the person on the table.

"Your Majesty, you know what to do." Ronin said. "Nod, make sure the Queen gets to the bird."

Ronin jumped up and met the brigade of leafmen he had set up to watch the Queen from a distance. He could see the Boggans had killed most of foliage and were moving quickly towards them.

"Get ready, with the bows." Ronin said slowly.

"If you shoot them, you have to shoot them through the throat." The figure said, suddenly next to Ronin.

"Why?" Ronin asked.

"They're not Mandrake's Boggans. His were easy to kill, but his sister's are another story." The person said, pushing the hood back.

Ronin did a double take. He saw an older version of his dead daughter, Ivene, only this girl's hair had a white streak in it.

"His sister's?" Ronin asked.

"Yes, Senthra is also a blight. Her Boggans have only one weakness; their throats. Everywhere else the weapon is decomposed." Ivene's look-a-like said.

"How do you know this?" a leafman asked, looking at the girl with suspicion.

"Try being Mandrake's hostage for five years and have his sister take over." The girl said angrily.

"Can I speak to you after this?" Ronin asked the girl.

"If we survive. There may be only thirty five Boggans that you see, but there is bound to be more somewhere else." She said, pulling a bow from over her shoulder. Ronin noticed that she had no arrows.

"Here we go." Ronin said, bulling his bow from over his shoulder.

The Boggans approached, their clumsy gait making aim nearly impossible. Ronin watched as the girl fired an arrow into the lead Boggan's throat. He immediately fell, tripping the others behind him. Ronin let his arrow fly immediately after the girl's. Another Boggan went down, clutching at its throat.

"Watch the back. I saw some go under the branch. They're going to circle around." She said, drawing the bow back to full draw.

Ronin went to turn, but something grabbed his ankle. He fell and saw a Boggan raising a club. An arrow flew into its hand and the Boggan dropped the club, but the arrow decomposed in its arm. It growled at Ronin, but suddenly its head wasn't there anymore.

"I told you, aim for the throat, or they won't die." The girl said, helping Ronin up. She handed him the sword. "This is yours."

The girl turned and blocked a club with her bow, tearing the bowstring. She twisted the club out of the Boggan's hands and kicked him in the throat before backing up. She and Ronin were fighting back to back against a circle of Boggans. Ronin was expertly blocking and cutting, while the girl was fighting with her fists and remainder of her bow.

"Enough." A feminine voice shouted. There was a caw and a crow landed at the edge of the branch with a figure on its back.

"Senthra." The girl said under her breath.

"Ah isn't the little leafman from my brother's prison." Senthra cackled.

"What do you want?" Ronin shouted.

"What all blights want, a beautiful dead forest." She said. "And with no Queen, there will be no forest to heal."

"Chrysa." Ronin whispered.

The girl grabbed his arm, "The Chrysanthemum girl, is the Queen?"

"Yes. I should've gone with her." Ronin said, "for all I know there isn't a Queen anymore."

"No, she's fine. She's at Moonhaven with Nod and fifteen other leafmen." The girl whispered.

"Stop your whispering!" Senthra shouted.

"My aren't we getting paranoid, Senthra." The girl shouted back, a smile creeping on her face.

"Do not test me. You are vulnerable, especially with your wound." Senthra growled.

"Then fight me or run like the coward you are." She shouted back. "Or you could do both in that order."

"Why you little…" Senthra muttered, climbing off the crow.

Senthra attacked first with her staff. The girl blocked them with her bow and smacked Senthra in the side of the arm with her bow.

"All talk and no brawn. Now I know why Mandrake was the favorite." The girl teased.

Senthra was livid about that comment. The next blow, she snapped the girl's bow in half. The girl looked at the pieces of wood in her hand and tried to block the next swipe. It hit her right side and the girl crumpled to the ground, withering in pain.

"That'll teach you to talk like that to me." Senthra huffed. She ran a finger over the girls jaw line. "As good as dead, no use taking her back."

Senthra mounted her crow and flew away, leaving the leafmen injured around the bodies of the Boggans.

Ronin ran to the girl's side, tears filling his eyes. "Ivene, I never thought I'd see you again."

"Dad." She whispered. "I'm so sorry for mom."

"I know, I know." Ronin whispered back.


End file.
